Spinner head for candy cotton machine



Jan. 15, 1963 J. BOWE 3,073,262

SPINNER HEAD FOR CANDY COTTON MACHINE Filed Aug. 16, 1961 INVENTOR.

JOHN BOWE 3 h m whmv ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,073,262 SPINNER HEAD FOR CANDY COTTON MACHTNE John Bowe, 29 Maple St., Salisbury, Mass. Filed Aug. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 131,782 3 Claims. (Cl. 1078) This invention relates to a multiple spinner head for a candy cotton machine that spins molten sugar into fine filaments to be gathered on a paper cone and eaten. A machine of this type is shown and described in US. Patent No. 1,489,342. The machine spins a cylindrical head at high speed about a vertical axis. Heating elements are within the head to melt the sugar which is next to the apertured wall of the head so that the melted sugar is flung out in very fine filaments which congeal immediately after they escape from the head. Coloring matter is customarily used with the sugar to add to the attractiveness of the candy cotton which is produced by the machine. Multiple spinner heads comprising two or more cylinders one over the other have been used, but if different colors are used in the several cylinders it has been neceessary to activate the heaters in them one at a time to avoid mixing the colors. It is an object of the present invention to provide a double spinner head both cylinders of which can be operated simultaneously with little or no intermingling of the filaments therefrom. For this purpose I mount the two cylinders of the spinner head with a small space between them and discharge radially from that space a flat stream of air that issues in all directions in a horizontal plane. This stream keeps the sugar filaments from each cylinder separate from the filaments from the other. If additional cylinders are employed, air discharge is provided between each cylinder and the next one to it.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawing which shows an elevational view of a double spinner head embodying the invention, a portion being broken away to show interior parts.

The head comprisse an upper cylinder and a lower cylinder 12 coaxially mounted on a vertical shaft 14. Each cylinder has a perforated side wall 16 against the inner surface of which is a heating unit 18 which may consist of a helical coil of resistance wire surrounded by insulation and encased in a metal sheath, both the wire "ice and the sheath having sufficiently high melting points to prevent fusing during operation. This type of heating unit is well-known and widely used.

The cylinders 10 and 12 are held in assembled relation by any suitable means such as a series of vertical tie rods 20 uniformly spaced from one another to preserve a dynamic balance which is necessary for the high rotational speeds at which the head is operated. Each rod is held by a top nut 22 and a bottom nut 24 threaded onto the ends thereof, and a spacer sleeve 26 is fitted on each rod between the two cylinders.

In the space between the cylinders are symmetrically arranged vanes 30 which are angled to sweep air outward from the head as the head rotates. To supply air near the hub of the head to replace that which is swept out, two or more symmetrically arranged tubes 32 are run vertically through one or the other of the cylinders to open into the space between the cylinders. As shown, two tubes 32 extend up from below the lower cylinder 12 and end flush with the top thereof. The lower end of each tube 32 is preferably beveled as at 34 with the opening at the end facing the direction of motion to promote the flow of air through the tube when the head is rotating.

I claim:

1. In a candy cotton spinning machine, a multiple spinner head comprising two perforated cylinders coaxially mounted to rotate about a vertical axis and vertically spaced, and a plurality of tubes extending vertically through one of said cylinders, each said tube having one end opening into the space between the cylinders.

2. In a candy cotton spinning machine, a multiple spinner head comprising two perforated cylinders coaxially mounted to rotate about a vertical axis and vertically spaced, the lower of said cylinders having two vertical tubes extending up therethrough from below and opening into the space between the cylinders, the lower ends of said tubes being beveled.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 1, said head having a plurality of vanes between said cylinders arranged to sweep air radially outward from the space between the cylinders.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 844,939 Hofman Feb. 19, 1907 

1. IN A CANDY COTTON SPINNING MACHINE, A MULTIPLE SPINNER HEAD COMPRISING TWO PERFORATED CYLINDERS COAXIALLY MOUNTED TO ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS AND VERTICALLY SPACED, AND A PLURALITY OF TUBES EXTENDING VERTICALLY THROUGH ONE OF SAID CYLINDERS, EACH SAID TUBE HAVING ONE END OPENING INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE CYLINDERS. 